Non-Steam version of ETS2 stays around

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We are delighted to see your feedback for ongoing open beta of ETS2 update 1.17 on our forums. Several issues we had not been aware of were already spotted thanks to you. With Scandinavia DLC release, everyone will benefit from this community cooperation on polishing the graphics engine upgrade.

Today we would like to talk about the future of non-Steam edition of Euro Truck Simulator 2.

Our stats suggest that over 80% of copies purchased in retail were registered on Steam. Majority of active players appreciate the simple automatic updates as compared to clumsy download mirror hunt, slow patch downloads and installation, the hassle-free migration to a new computer without having to find the misplaced activation keys, and of course the availability of additional DLC bonus packages. Seeing this, it's tempting to just concentrate on our core skill of developing and evolving the game further rather than expanding our legacy key authentication system to handle more DLCs, and to just stick with Steam service for future updates and releases.

But there is still also a considerable number of hardcore ETS2 fans who swear that they will never use Steam or Origin or any comparable system. They have already bought into ETS2 and we do not want to punish them by refusing them access to critical ETS2 updates and additions. We therefore feel that we have the obligation to sustain the availability of non-Steam edition of ETS2 and the big map add-ons, and to provide regular game updates outside of Steam.

We do not guarantee that this support will last indefinitely. We plan to keep adding cool features into the game relying on Steam infrastructure and therefore be Steam-exclusive. As a result we expect the numbers of actively played non-Steam copies of the game used in the wild to dwindle further, eventually freeing us from the need to provide two alternate game update methods. But for the time being and foreseeable future, we are not going 100% Steam exclusive with Euro Truck Simulator 2 ecosystem.

In fact, we did invest considerable development capacity to come up with a new feature: the Updater.

Built on top of torrent protocol, this new utility will give you a chance to update the game without having to go to any download sites. Much like comparable proprietary game update systems (Battle.net, League of Legends...), using torrent protocol means that the updater will piggy-back on additional upload capacity of people downloading the update to serve chunks of data to other people also grabbing the update at the same time. We won't have to serve tera-bytes of data each day any more just providing game update downloads (and there was never enough bandwidth honestly), you won't need to worry about clicking a wrong link on a 3rd party mirror site.

Still, the writing is on the wall, and it's only a question of time until we "sun set" the legacy key authentication system.

It's not a coincidence that ALL boxed copies of ETS2: Scandinavia map add-on sold in retail stores by our retail publishing partners and all copies sold on various 3rd party digital download sites will be Steam-only. Our retail publishing partners opted to bundle Scandinavia expansion with various DLC packages as extra goodies. Due to our limited infrastructure, we are using Steam for all of our non-map DLCs. So retail boxes of the add-on by necessity are now packing Steam-only game installers and keys.

The non-Steam edition of the Euro Truck Simulator 2 and both map expansions will continue to exist, they will be available for purchase exclusively from the official game website at http://www.eurotrucksimulator2.com.